Episcopal Divinity School

Margins Speak with Rev. Dr. Kuzipa Nalwamba

 

We are launching a podcast series titled, Margins Speak.

Over the next few months, The Rev. Dr. Joshua Samuel, Visiting Lecturer for Theology, Global Christianity, and Mission will explore various ecological issues faced by people in the Global South.

Covering topics such as colonialism, capitalism, and oppressive structures such as racism, patriarchy, homophobia, we will hear how theologians and thought leaders from around the globe are responding theologically to these environmental crises and working with communities to resist the forces that cause environmental destruction.

In this first episode of Margins Speaks, Joshua Samuel interviews Rev. Dr. Kuzipa Nalwamba, who is an ordained minister of the United Church of Zambia, and currently serves as a Project Consultant in Strategic Planning at the Council for World Mission in Pretoria, South Africa.

Bringing Communities Together Through Music

Last month, Dr. Sandra T. Montes joined EDS at Union as an Artist in Residence, sharing her talents for leading worship, song, and bi-lingual liturgy with our community. In today's episode, Dean Douglas interviews Dr. Montes to learn more about her experience using music to bring congregations and communities together. 

About Sandra Montes: Sandra is the Spanish Language Resource Consultant at ECF. She was born in Perú, grew up in Guatemala and settled in Texas as soon as she could.

Her passions are God, family (especially her son), music, education, and writing and she has been hoping and praying for this position for years. 

Sandra has been developing original bilingual resources for her church, school, and others for years. Sandra has been volunteering and working in the Episcopal Church since she was welcomed in 1986. She serves as musician, translator, speaker, consultant, and writer. She earned her doctorate in education in 2016 and is a full-time freelance consultant and musician. 

Sandra T. Montes nació en Perú, se crió en Guatemala y se instaló en Tejas lo antes que le fue posible. Sus pasiones son Dios, familia (especialmente su hijo), música, educación y escribir, y ha estado esperando y orando por este puesto por años. Sandra ha estado elaborando recursos bilingües originales para su iglesia, escuela y otros por años. Sandra ha sido voluntaria y trabajado en la Iglesia Episcopal desde que le dieron la bienvenida a Ella en 1986. Se desempeña como música, traductora, oradora, asesora y redactora. Obtuvo su doctorado en educación en 2016 y es consultora y música de tiempo completo.

Flint, Faith and Justice with Anna Clark

In this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas interviews Anna Clark, author of The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy, who joined us on campus for a public event on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.

The Poisoned City was selected as the EDS at Union Community Read for the spring 2019 semester. In her book, Clark methodically lays out how embedded racism, wealth gaps, a shift away from democracy at the local level, as well as the targeted neglect of the ties that bind – literally, our urban infrastructure – have resulted in Flint’s black and brown children being poisoned.

 

Understanding the Flint Water Crisis

For this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas speaks with the Rev. Dan Scheid, Rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Flint, Michigan. They discuss the Flint water crisis, how the community has worked together, and the Episcopal Church's response. 

The EDS at Union Spring Community Read is Anna Clark’s riveting book, The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy. In this book, Flint is an example of a much broader story of American urban tragedy, and it is a story of poverty, race, and toxic environmental injustices that we all must learn as we seek to become effective community leaders.

Anna Clark will be on campus to discuss this pivotal book on Wednesday, January 30th at 6:00 pm EST. Click here to RSVP attend, or sign up for access to the live stream.

Ministry at the Border

"Nobody told us the Gospel was easy" -Reverend José Juan Bernal

In this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas speaks with Reverend José Juan Bernal, Rector at Saint Christopher's Episcopal Church in El Paso, Texas. They discuss his ministry on both sides of the border and how the recent tension around immigration has impacted his community.  

This interview was part of a trip organized by Trinity Wall Street to bring clergy and lay leaders to the border to visit with asylum seekers in Juarez, Mexico.

Interview with Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee

On this episode of EDS at Union NOW, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas talks with The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, the twelfth bishop of the Diocese of Chicago. 

 

Bishop Lee shares his experience serving as the pastoral and spiritual leader of a diocese like Chicago, which faces daily challenges such as gun violence, the opioid epidemic, and a growing population of young people who are finding spiritually in institutions outside of the church. 

 

They talk about his critical work of bringing people and communities together and his vision for the future of the Episcopal Church. 

 

 

Vote Faithfully this Election Day

Register + Mobilize + Communicate + Advocate

Earlier this semester, Rebecca Linder Blachly and Alan Yarborough from Office of Government Relations for the Episcopal Church sat down with Dean Kelly Brown Douglas and Miguel Escobar to discuss the November election and the many ways that the Episcopal Church is getting congregations and communities involved in the electoral process. Please download the Vote Faithfully toolkit to find information and resources for getting out the vote in your faith community.

Other resources mentioned in the episode include Lawyers and Collars and the Poor People's Campaign.

 

 

Bishops United Against Gun Violence

The Very Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas interviews several founding members of Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a group of more than 80 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence. Panelists include:

The Rt. Rev. Mark M. Beckwith, Bishop Emeritus of Newark

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop Diocesan of The Episcopal Church in Washington

The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Ph.D., Bishop Diocesan of The Episcopal Church in Connecticut

Understanding the Religious Liberty Task Force

“A dangerous movement, undetected by many, is now challenging and eroding our great tradition of religious freedom.” -Attorney General Jeff Sessions

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice is creating a new Religious Liberty Task Force. Many fear this task force will use faith to justify discrimination against people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.

Hear Dean Douglas speak with Rev. Dr. Partick Cheng, associate rector at The Church of the Transfiguration, to learn more about this task force and Religious Freedom Restoration Act from both a legal and theological perspective.

Care of Creation

The Very Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas was joined by the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Ms. Karenna Gore for a conversation about their experiences with faith-based organizations engaged in the Care of Creation, and the Episcopal Churches response to the climate crisis. 

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas is an EDS alumna, author, retreat leader, and Episcopal priest. She serves as Missioner for Creation Care for both the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts and Mass, Conference, United Church of Christ.

Karenna Gore is Director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. This organization grew out of the Religions for the Earth conference held at Union Theological Seminary in September 2014.